Childhood Immunisation Increases but Some Areas Still at Risk

The National Health Performance Authorities second report on childhood immunisation rates shows the number of children not fully immunised has lowered, but there are areas in Australia where rates are low.
The number of children not fully immunised lowered by nearly 2,000 compared to the previous year (75,002 in 2012–13 compared to 76,769 in 2011–12). While this is good news, the new report highlights areas in Australia where rates are low. Childhood immunisation significantly decreases the possibility for infection and spread of diseases in the community, such as whooping cough and measles.
The new report looks at childhood immunisation rates across three geographic levels –
61 Medicare Local catchment areas, 333 Australian Bureau of Statistics Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3) and 1,500 postcode areas across Australia.
The biggest improvements in immunisation rates were seen across five-year-old children, the age when they should have completed their childhood immunisations. The national rate for five-year-old children increased from 90.0% in 2011–12 to 91.5% in 2012–13.
The report reveals:

• The percentage of five-year-old children fully immunised across Medicare Local catchments ranged from 86.2% in Eastern Sydney to 95.4% in Great South Coast (Vic).


• Significantly improved rates were reported for five-year-old Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children – the national rate of five-year-old children fully immunised improved from 87.3% in 2011–12 to 92.1% in 2012–13. The percentage of five-year-old children fully immunised across Medicare Local catchments in 2012–13 ranged from 80.6% in Central Adelaide & Hills up to 97.0% in Gippsland (Vic).


• At postcode level area the lowest rates of fully immunised five-year-old children were reported in areas including Byron Bay (NSW), Manly (NSW), Casuarina (NT), Beaumont (SA), South Yarra (Vic) and Noosa Heads (Qld) – ranging from as low as 66.7% up to 83.1% of five-year-old children fully immunised.

Of the 75,002 children aged one, two and five years not fully immunised in 2012–13, almost 15,000 are registered as ‘conscientious objectors’. Across five-year-old children the percentage of children registered under conscientious objector provisions ranged from close to 0.0% in Far West NSW up to 7.1% in Sunshine Coast (Qld).
New data on the percentages of girls aged 15 years fully immunised against human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus known to cause cervical cancer, has been made available by Medicare Local catchment for the first time in the report. The rate of HPV immunisation ranged from 59% in Country North SA and Eastern Sydney up to 92% in Great South Coast (Vic) Medicare Local catchments.
National Health Performance Authority CEO Dr Diane Watson said that while childhood immunisation rates have improved, today’s report provides health professionals with information to help them target efforts to areas that need it most.
“Through local-level reporting we can clearly identify areas in Australia with low rates of childhood immunisation. This information can be camouflaged by national, state and territory level reporting,” Dr Watson said.
The Performance Authority’s MyHealthyCommunities website allows users to search childhood immunisation rates for children aged one, two and five years across 333 local areas and 1,500 postcodes at www.myhealthycommunities.gov.au